Making a Scene [open]

[Shor]

"How did you know my name?" A rather serious-looking mouse, apparently named Bruff, asked confusedly of the young sea otter who'd cordially invited himself to his table. A second, female otter stood nearby, arms crossed, head bowed in frustration.

"Well," said the first otter, "You see, I can see things other beasts can't see, like, the fact that you probably take care of a mousebabe or three. Lemme guess, 'e's just learning 'ow to walk?"

Bruff shook his head in bewilderment. "Wait, what? 'Ow d'ye know that?"

"That's just it. I jus'. . . know." The otter was having a hard time explaining himself.

"Wait, wait wait wait wait wait." The mouse held up a paw to silence the one speaking. "So, you're like a seer -- a psychic?"

The psychic-or-not was about to reply, but the female otter politely pulled him to the side, apologizing to the mouse they'd so rudely interrupted.

"Don't say 'psychic,' Lachie," she warned, "he'll shut you off. Pick something vague, like Alternative Tactics Division."

Lachie seemed to consider this for a moment, id est, half a second, and responded. "How about the Bureau of Magic and Spell Casting?"

The ottermaid sighed in exasperation. "Look, just try not to make a scene."

Lachie shrugged, and turned to walk back to where the mouse was sitting, but his sister seemed to have second thoughts, and placed a paw on his shoulder to turn him around again. "Why are we getting involved? Do we even know if this is the right guy?"

Lachie rolled his eyes as though the situation wasn't as clear as the fur on his face. "Isn't it obvious? He's clearly stressed, 'is belt's all smeared from 'is toddler, an' 'e's got the same name as the guy -- 'ow can it not be him?"

Lachina thought for a moment, shaking her head as she stared at the plank floor. She finally consented. "Just try not to make a scene."

The mouse looked up from his downward gaze as the otter returned, flopping down in the chair, seemingly making as much noise as he could in the process.

"I'm a psychic," declared Lachie, emphasizing the statement with a loud knock on the table.

Lachina threw her hands up in defeat, and made as though to leave the premises.

---

It just wasn't right. Back home, on the nor'westerly coast, Lachie could make every obscure reference in the book -- matter of fact, he'd practically written it. But here, at this Redhall place, Lachie knew nothing, and nobeast ever had a clue what he was talking about when he made his usual references. The way he saw it, he had to learn about the history of Mossflower, and to do that, he would need to find a good collection of sources.

Fortunately, the gatehouse housed one such collection, as well as housing a gate, hence the name, "gatehouse" (funny how that works).

Maps, maps, and what was this?

Lachie picked something up from a shelf that looked like it had been untouched for. . . well, a long time. Based on a very faint, yet barely visible thinner part of the dust coating on the scroll, he could tell that the last beast to handle this old thing was a mouse.

The young sea otter had only just begun to open it when a noise sounded from behind -- the sound of the door creaking ever so slightly, indicating a presence at the entrance (that couldn't have been phrased more verbosely).

Lachie spun around quickly, seemingly attempting to hide the scroll behind his back, though it was done so poorly that he couldn't have been serious. "I'm not making a mess!" he blurted out.

There's something oddly amusing about over-dramatization.

---

((Yes, that first bit is a flashback. No, I didn't have much time to think this whole post through, so the quality may not be as good as I'd like, but whatever, I'll stop babbling now.))

[Tirael]

"I'm not making a mess!"

Tirael, who'd only been squeezing into the door to return a large stack of books he'd finished reading, was rather startled by the sudden and unexpected cry. And what better way to respond than by shouting back? "Augh!" he yelped in surprise, dropping the entire stack of books in the process. Luckily for him he'd been leaning against the door, or else the entire stack would've fallen on his footpaws...eegh.

Slowing his breathing down to normal, he grasped the doorframe with one paw and looked around to see who'd startled him. As it turned out, it was...uh...that otter in the wheel-chair...Lachlan! That was it. Now thoroughly embarrassed to have made such an entrance, Tirael avoided eye contact, knelt, and hurriedly picked up the various volumes he'd dropped. As he did so, he let loose a very disjointed, inarticulate stream of words that made him look even more like some kind of demented weirdo.

Brilliant.

"Uhh...no, no, I didn't think...I was just returning...s-sorry...didn't mean to, uh, y' know..." Deciding that shutting his mouth would be the best choice for saving whatever dignity he still had, he began shelving the old books on the even older shelves, still looking away in embarrassment.

[Shor]

Lachie jumped at Tirael jumping and falling and mumbling.

"Uhh...no, no, I didn't think...I was just returning...s-sorry...didn't mean to, uh, y' know..."

"Sssseven...." Lachie wasn't sure how to reply.

He wheeled over to a fallen book Tirael had missed. Picking it up, he wagged a now-dusty paw at the healer. "Now, Tirael, ye can't be dropping books hither an' thither. Yore making a mess..." He turned the book around to look at the cover. "What's this?" he asked.

Blank. The cover was blank. Well, that's boring. He opened the book, making a face. "Worrrds!..." he said as though disgusted. Throwing the book carelessly onto a desk nearby, he turned and threw on an inquiring look. "Where, are the colouring books?"

[Tirael]

"Now, Tirael, ye can't be dropping books hither an' thither. Yore making a mess..." He turned the book around to look at the cover. "What's this?"

Rolling his eyes at Lachie's comment, he turned to glance at the book. He stiffened as he realized which one it was: the story of Deyna, the Taggerung. Though there was no way Lachie could know it, Tirael had read the book more than once, and the fact that seeing the title-less book didn't clue anyone in on that didn't seem to affect him. He was too preoccupied being embarrassed to think logically.

Hurrying to get the book after it was tossed onto a desk, he picked it up and noted sadly that a few pages were now bent. A little flutter of anger faded in and out of him; who did this other otter think he was, treating a book like that? Soon, though, the feeling subsided, and he felt guilty, as was typical whenever he got upset.

"Where, are the colouring books?"

"Coloring...what?" Even if Redwall had any coloring books (he had no idea), Tirael wasn't the type who would have ever used them. In the turmoil that had followed him ever since he'd lost his memory, he'd never been carefree enough to flip through a book and color in pictures somebeast else had drawn. "What's wrong with words, anyways? You do know how to read, don't you?" Afterward, he realized he'd sounded a bit snobby asking a question like that, but he just swallowed the needless apologies that were bubbling up in his throat. He'd reserve any babbling until he really needed it.

[Shor]

"Yes, an' some crayons. Wait. Nevermind, I'll just use this charcoal."

Lachie saw the smudges on Tirael's paws, which were too dark to have originated during the conversation. Now, Lachie had never met this Infirmary worker, and so did what he always did when meeting a new beast; he stared intently at him until he could glean as much as possible about the otter . . Glean. What a funny word, thought he.

"What's wrong with words, anyways? You do know how to read, don't you?"

"Aye," he replied, holding his mildly disturbing gaze. "Wot was that book about? Raggentugg? An' who's Deyna?--"

He stopped a little abruptly. His threw his paw out behind him to feel for something as he continued staring at Tirael, who was obviously already quite nervous. Great. He looked downward, at his footpaws. There, now rather flat, rested the dusty scroll he'd "tried" to hide moments ago. Lachie had run over it with his chair. When he was certain Tirael wasn't looking, he snatched it up from the floor, and hid it behind his chair, setting it on a stool that, from the look of it, should have been out of Tirael's line of sight.

((This is all I could come up with. Hope I didn't make it too difficult to reply. I'm not all there today.))

[Tirael]

"Yes, an' some crayons. Wait. Nevermind, I'll just use this charcoal."

Tirael just shrugged. If Lachie had solved the 'problem' on his own, that was that.

"Wot was that book about? Raggentugg? An' who's Deyna?--"

The infirmary keeper paused, his brow furrowing as he remained facing away from the seer. The question was too unusual for him to think about his embarrassment; instead, he spoke calmly and questioningly, the academic portion of his brain taking over. "It's Taggerung. And how did you know..."

Finally turning, he saw Lachie's paw returning from behind the chair. With a tilt of his head, he peered behind him, saying with a more wary voice, "What's behind you? What's going on?" Oddly enough, he felt less uncomfortable, his curiosity overriding his fear.


[[Well, that wasn't very good, but no fault of yours. ]]

[Shor]

"It's Taggerung. And how did you know... What's behind you? What's going on?"

"In reversed order: Nothing, no thing, and I saw the name when I opened the book an' said 'Worrrds.' " He spoke casually, and as though the most innocent, non-caring otter in the world, something he'd been forced to do on account of living with Lachina for most of his life. Of course, lying was much more difficult when one was caught in the act. Well, sort of caught.

"My turn!" He changed the subject, attempting to douse any suspicion with his over-dramatic, childish attitude that shined so dazzlingly through his speech. "Why wasn't the character o' Deyna more developed? I mean, ye only saw 'is deeper personality in, like, two places!" Lachie was animated in his rants, yet another way his dibbun-like nature revealed itself.

He hoped Tirael wasn't too suspicious...

[Tirael]

"In reversed order: Nothing, no thing, and I saw the name when I opened the book an' said 'Worrrds.' "

"Hm," Tirael said, not really believing the wheelchair-bound sea otter. Still trying to peer around him, he decided that he might have to just make a quick move to grab whatever he was hiding. But what could it be that Lachie would be so unwilling to reveal it? A forbidden weapon? Something stolen? What?

"My turn! Why wasn't the character o' Deyna more developed? I mean, ye only saw 'is deeper personality in, like, two places!"

"Well, it was the writer's first- wait!" Pointing an accusing finger at Lachie, Tirael said, "Now I'm SURE you're hiding something!" Realizing how angry he sounded, his accusatory mode shut down and was replaced by oh-no-I'm-so-sorry-I-just-snapped-at-you mode. Withdrawing a bit, he looked away and spoke rather quietly. "S-sorry. If it's your business...but you can tell me, y'know..." Sighing, he decided it was best to give up before anything else went wrong. "I should go," he said hurriedly, moving past Lachie to get to the door.

Why was he so awful at meeting new people?

[[Sorry...it's not so good...blagh...]]

[Shor]

((Nah, it works.))

---

Lachie stared intently at the smudgy, accusing finger at him. "Now I'm SURE you're hiding something!"

Somebeast had some bad hotroot this morning. Yay, exaggeration. Still, all this accusation made Lachie want to speak in courtroom jargon...

"S-sorry. If it's your business...but you can tell me, y'know...I should go..."

Lachie picked up a kind of paper weight, and rapped it sharply on the nearby desk. It was his gavel. "Order! This meeting has not been adjourned!"

Just then, somebeast attempted to walk through the door, bumping into Tirael in the process. It was Barr. He hadn't stopped in time, having hurried over to learn of whoever was making all this racket.

"Wot's going on in 'ere?" he asked sternly, directing his gaze mainly at Lachie. "Lachlan?"

"Let the plaintiff state his case first!" Lachie pointed at Tirael, eyes staring protestingly at Barr's.

---

((Short on time. I'm sure you can see where this is going. Think "reference."))

[Tirael]

[[Actually, I only sorta do. But I'll try not to mess it up for ya.]]

"Order! This meeting has not been adjourned!"

Turning confusedly at the random burst of courtroom-talk, Tirael muttered, "Oh, yes it has," before grabbing for the doorknob. Instead of feeling it, though, he simply clutched at air and was bumped back into the gatehouse by Barr. Oh no, family ambush... he thought, looking helplessly at father and son. There was no way that Barr would side against his own son, was there? Blood ties could affect even the most sensible of creatures. He even felt a little twinge of jealousy; he had no family. He couldn't remember having ever had a family. Who was supposed to defend him?

"Wot's going on in 'ere?" he asked sternly, directing his gaze mainly at Lachie. "Lachlan?"

Point in case. The elder otter was going to get Lachie's side of the story first. Granted, Tirael hadn't exactly done anything "wrong", but he had sort of...well, yelled. It didn't seem exactly right to somebeast outside his own thought patterns.

"Let the plaintiff state his case first!"

Tirael looked uncertainly at the finger pointing at him. At least he got to be the plaintiff... "Uh...it's not, well, it's not a case or anything, really...but...he...he knows stuff he shouldn't. Well, not shouldn't, I mean, he's not...not allowed to know them, but he doesn't...know...them...the...right...way?" A brilliant display of his abilities as his own lawyer. Time to play the penitent sinner card. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled, it was just...weird. I got nervous. Which was why I was going..." He trailed off on the last sentence, seeing as Barr was still blocking the door.

[Shor]

"Uh...it's not, well, it's not a case or anything, really..."

Barr nodded understandingly. Lachie was rather 'random,' for lack of a better word. He'd used courtspeak before -- it usually led to a big scene, if not now, then later.

"but...he...he knows stuff he shouldn't. Well, not shouldn't, I mean, he's not...not allowed to know them, but he doesn't...know...them...the...right...way?"

Barr knew what the otter was talking about. Lachie's abilities as a seer were a bit unnerving at times, but the feeling could be overridden by the apparent lack of seriousness in, well, everything Lachie did. On the other paw, as displayed beautifully in this case, it could also make matters worse, confusing whatever 'victim' Lachie had chosen to speak to. It was hard to tell; was Lachie trying to impress everybeast, or was it merely for his own amusement?

Look, I'm sorry I yelled, it was just...weird. I got nervous. Which was why I was going..."

Barr did stop Tirael, but not because he was angry at him. He was more irked by Lachie's antics, and wanted to straighten things out. Countless beasts avoided the Stromness family because of Lachie, though, the psychic did tend to introduce himself with improvised names, one antic Lachina actually played along with... back when she was still around...

"Sorry," he began with an apology, sotto voce, "I'm shore Lachlan didn't mean to confuse ye. He gets carried away sometimes. If you hadn't yelled at 'im, I prob'ly would 'ave..."

There was something Lachie had noticed that Barr had not. Well, really, there were a lot of things, but the most helpful of all was Tirael's expression. That is not to say that Barr didn't see that Tir had an expression, but that he didn't read it like Lachie did. Twins, as they were, Lachie and Lachina learned quite a bit from each other. One piece of this bit was the ability to read expressions, which Lachie had learned from Lachina, to an extent, of course. Lachina was like a polygraph, able to read a beast so thoroughly that she knew exactly what they were feeling, and sometimes thinking. Lachie used this ability of hers at times to help him "read minds," during his weekly psychic-antics.

In any case, Lachie noticed Tirael's worry -- not that Tirael had felt much else this entire time. But it was obvious, at least to Lachie, by the way the way that the Infirmary worker glanced between Barr and the seer, that he expected Barr to side with Lachie. Lately, this was rarely the case. Barr was a serious otter, and Lachie was, honestly, annoying.

Now speaking loud enough for Lachie to hear, which didn't make a difference, as Lachie read lips decently, Barr continued. "Y'see, Lachie is, er..."

"I'm a psychic!" Lachie declared to the heavens, as he had done countless times before. Barr would have put it less bluntly, but yes, this was the case. . . or something like that.

"Ten minute recess," said Lachie, making as though to wheel away.

"What?" interjected Barr.

---

((Sorry. Quality isn't that good on account of "melting-brain disorder," caused by Trig.))

[Tirael]

Tirael stood uncomfortably as Barr stopped him from beating a hasty and very-much wanted retreat. Fiddling slightly with one of his habit sleeves, he wondered what sort of stern comment, or, fates forbid, lecture, was headed his way. Probably something about anger management and tolerance, and judging by the annoyed look on Barr's face, it probably was going to be a bit unpleasant.

Great.

"Sorry."

"Huh?" Tirael blurted. The apology had come completely out of the blue, and for a second the young otter was completely at a loss. Finally, as Barr continued, he realized that he wasn't in trouble. Feeling much relieved, he stopped his nervous fiddling and listened curiously.

"I'm shore Lachlan didn't mean to confuse ye. He gets carried away sometimes. If you hadn't yelled at 'im, I prob'ly would 'ave..."

Furrowing his brow, the healer wrapped his head around the admission as best he could. Apparently, working as his own attorney worked, at least against somebody who was apparently a repeat offender. Suddenly, the thought popped into his head that if he could get past Lachie's confusing (and potentially very irritating) bursts of being 'carried away,' he could probably be rather fun to be around.

Somethin' to file away in the old noggin.

...and since when do I say things like that?

"Y'see, Lachie is, er..."

"I'm a psychic!"

Tirael just blinked. He was past the point of being surprised by whatever came out of any Stromness mouth. "Oh," he said simply. With a shrug, he added, "That makes sense." As if anything else did. Besides, it was a repeated event in history that the spirit of Martin had visited various abbeydwellers; psychic powers weren't any more far-fetched. Besides, it explained satisfactorily what had happened. Tirael was nothing if not a firm believer in simple solutions.

"Ten minute recess."

"What?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Tirael said quickly, halting Lachie's chair with a footpaw. "Am I...not supposed to tell this to anybeast? You've kept it under wraps so far, so..."

[Shor]

"Wait, wait, wait," Tirael said quickly, halting Lachie's chair with a footpaw. "Am I...not supposed to tell this to anybeast? You've kept it under wraps so far, so..."

Lachie spoke up. "Really? Wot 'appened to the courtroom jargon we were usin' just a moment ago?"

Barr shook his head at this. "You don't ackshully expect us to play along, do ye?" he asked Lachie.

"He is making a mockery of these proceedings!" Lachie exclaimed, pointing another accusing paw at Tirael.

Barr rolled his eyes, ignored Lachie, and addressed Tir's question. "We don't really know if 'e's a seer. 'E just sort o' plays along with it."

"Aye," began Lachie sarcastically, "an' I jus' 'appen to know that there're approx'mately foreteen dibbuns in the Infirmary eatin' a stash o' candy chestnuts as we speak." He wondered if Tirael kept any candied chestnuts in the Infirmary...

---

((Finally, I found a way to make that reference!))

[Tirael]

((You and your references. And your footnotes. And your you-ness.))

"Really? Wot 'appened to the courtroom jargon we were usin' just a moment ago?"

"You don't ackshully expect us to play along, do ye?"

"He is making a mockery of these proceedings!"

Deciding that playing along a little couldn't hurt, Tirael interjected. "Objection: that's a matter of opinion," he said with some amusement, glancing as Lachie pointed at him.

"We don't really know if 'e's a seer. 'E just sort o' plays along with it."

"Aye, an' I jus' 'appen to know that there're approx'mately foreteen dibbuns in the Infirmary eatin' a stash o' candy chestnuts as we speak."

At first, the assertion made Tirael start a little; however, as he thought it over he realized that there was an important error in the "psychic" revelation. "Well, I wouldn't worry it about it much, considering I don't have any." Crossing his arms, he raised an eyebrow at Lachie and continued, "I hand out something else. If you can tell me what it is..." He trailed off; it was obvious what he meant. To be honest, he still believed that Lachie had at least some sort of psychic ability, or else he wouldn't have pulled off his little stunt with the book beforehand. Besides, it was much more interesting than him just being very observant, right?

Anyways, he waited with a false air of self-satisfied skepticism [[illiteration! WOO!]] for Lachie to correct his mistake. The healer had never liked nuts much; apples were much better.

[Shor]

((Sorry for taking so long. It's difficult for me to keep up with more than two sites at once.))

---

"Well, I wouldn't worry it about it much, considering I don't have any."-- Tir raised an eyebrow--"I hand out something else. If you can tell me what it is..."

"They're not yore's?" Lachie asked curiously. "Thennnn, whose are they?" He began to nod a little.

Barr caught Lachie's intention. "No," he shook his head, "No, we're not goin' to go look." The psychic, or psychish otter would undoubtedly worsen the situation, bluffing or no. Typically, when Lachie would bluff, it would be done in order to set himself up for something much more stupid.

"Yes. Let's go check it out."

"No, Lach--"

"Let's go."

All the while, Lachie casually made his way to the door.

"Don't ye--"

"To the loibr'ry! . . ." Lachie paused. ". . . Wait, no, th-that doesn't. . ."

"We're not going, Lachie." Stated Barr sternly.

"Fine. We'll just sit 'ere 'til they reach Tir's fruit-snacks." He folded his arms, turning his head to look at the healer. Lachie paused for a moment, looking away as though musing with interest. "Which, by the way, are nothing like those chewy candied ones we 'ad back at the coast."

In all honesty, Lachie wasn't yet aware that Tir replaced classic candied chestnut with apples. He knew it was fruit, but he couldn't say he knew what kind.

"Wait," he corrected himself, throwing in an amused laugh, "Wot was I thinking? Dibbuns don't eat apples..."

It was a guess, but then, it could be nothing more due to the nature of psychic revelations. Seers were revealed facts through divination, and this wasn't at all like physical observation, which provided solid proof as opposed to the "hunch," so to speak, given by the psychic's vision. It was all guesswork -- seers just happened to be right most of the time.

"Wait!" Lachie corrected himself again. "Are they candied apples?" He asked eagerly.

---

((*sigh* Two weeks late...))